0:02 [Music]
0:03 you are listening to the teaching and
0:07 preaching of Dr Warren weby this message
0:09 was recorded while he served as pastor
0:11 of Calvary Baptist Church in Covington
0:14 Kentucky or the Moody Church in Chicago
0:17 Illinois for additional resources please
0:20 visit tofit you.com that's the number
0:27 two p r o p tu.com and now Dr Warren
0:30 weby we read the word of God from
0:34 two sections today from John
0:52 17 these words spoke Jesus and lifted up
0:56 his eyes to heaven and said father the
0:57 hour is
1:01 come glorify thy son that thy son Also
1:02 may glorify
1:06 thee as thou has given him Power Over All
1:07 All
1:11 Flesh that he should give eternal life
1:14 to as many as thou Hast given
1:18 him and this is life eternal that they
1:21 might Know Thee the only true God and
1:24 Jesus Christ whom thou has
1:28 sent I have glorified thee on the earth
1:30 I have finished the work work which thou
1:32 gavest me to
1:36 do and now oh Father glorify thou me
1:38 with thine own
1:41 self with the glory which I had with
1:46 thee before the world
1:55 5:9 if we receive the witness of man the
1:57 witness of God is
2:00 greater for this is the witness of God
2:02 which he hath testified of his
2:06 son he that believeth on the Son of God
2:08 hath the witness in
2:11 himself he that believeth not God hath
2:14 made him a liar because he believeth not
2:17 the record that God gave of his son and
2:20 this is the record that God hath given
2:24 to us eternal life and this life is in
2:28 his son he that hath the son hath life
2:31 and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
2:32 not
2:35 life these things have I written unto
2:38 you that believe on the name of the son
2:43 of God that you may know that you have eternal
2:44 eternal
2:47 life and that you may believe on the
3:12 our subject is the greatest gift ever
3:15 given and the Lord does not leave us in
3:18 doubt as to what this gift
3:22 is because in his high Priestly prayer
3:23 in John chap
3:27 17 Jesus tells us what it
3:31 is as thou Hast given him authority over All
3:32 All
3:36 Flesh that he should give eternal
3:40 life to as many as thou Hast given him
3:42 and this is life
3:45 eternal that they might Know Thee the
3:47 only true
3:50 God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent
3:52 many of you listening to me right now
3:57 have received this marvelous gift of
4:00 everlasting life
4:02 I trust that you are enjoying
4:06 it I trust it's the very center of your
4:08 life I trust it's the thing that
4:11 controls our lives this greatest gift
4:13 that was ever
4:15 given but alas there are many many
4:18 people who have never received this
4:21 gift if God were charging for eternal
4:24 life I could understand why some people
4:26 would not receive it they might not be
4:28 able to
4:31 pay if God were forgiving required works
4:34 for eternal life I can understand why
4:36 many would not have it they might not be
4:38 able to
4:43 work but God is giving a gift graciously
4:45 graciously
4:49 lovingly God is giving eternal life and
4:52 yet there are multitudes that have never received
4:53 received
4:57 it now when you realize the
5:01 Wonder and the splendor
5:02 and the
5:06 greatness of this gift of eternal life
5:08 you really cannot help but receive it
5:10 and rejoice in it and want to share it
5:11 with other
5:14 people the tragedy is we take this gift for
5:15 for
5:18 granted we sing about eternal life and
5:20 we read about eternal
5:23 life we attend services and we give
5:26 thanks to God for eternal life but
5:29 somehow it loses its its splendor for
5:33 some reason it becomes drab ordinary and
5:35 this is
5:38 tragic and so today we want to meditate
5:41 on the greatness of this gift of eternal
5:45 life the greatest gift ever given and
5:48 perhaps the best way for us to
5:50 recapture some of the
5:55 glory some of the Splendor of this gift
5:58 is to examine this gift and to notice
6:01 once again the the qualities that make
6:06 this gift great what are the qualities
6:09 of this gift that make it the greatest
6:11 gift in all the world well I think there
6:14 are several of them and the first
6:16 obviously is
6:19 this it is an eternal
6:22 gift not
6:24 temporary not
6:27 passing not some recent
6:30 fad it's an eternal
6:33 gift thou Hast given him authority over All
6:34 All
6:38 Flesh that he should give eternal
6:41 life to as many as thou Hast given him
6:45 and this is life eternal the reason this
6:47 gift is so great is it because it
6:51 possesses the quality of Eternity it is
6:53 an eternal
6:56 gift now all of us have received gifts
7:00 that hardly lasted a week
7:02 this is one gift that lasts
7:04 forever but you must remember eternal
7:08 life is much more than just endless time
7:12 in fact it is not endless time it is no
7:15 time at all eternity does not involve
7:19 time God is eternal with God there is no
7:23 beginning with God there is no
7:26 ending CS Lewis said that we should
7:28 picture eternity something like this he
7:30 said get a long road roll of paper just
7:32 stretch out a roll of paper as far as
7:35 you can stretch it and then take your
7:38 pen and make a little line on that roll
7:43 of paper that is time as compared to
7:45 Eternity you see everyone's going to
7:48 live forever eternal life is more than
7:51 endless life everyone is going to live
7:54 forever the most blatant agnostic is
7:55 going to live
7:58 forever the most rampant unbeliever is
8:03 it's appointed unto man once to die and
8:05 after this the Judgment you say I don't
8:07 know Christ as my savior I'm sorry you
8:08 don't but I'm telling you you're going
8:11 to live forever but you'll be living in
8:13 an endless
8:17 death eternal life is not just quantity
8:20 of time eternal life is quality of
8:22 experience let me put it this way
8:25 eternal life is not life from
8:30 God eternal life is the life of God God
8:33 when you receive Jesus Christ as your
8:37 savior you participate in the very life of
8:38 of
8:41 God that's why the Apostle John
8:45 writes he that hath the son hath
8:48 life he that hath not the Son of God
8:50 hath not
8:54 life it's an eternal
8:57 gift I think it perhaps shocks people to
8:59 realize that salvation is not not just
9:01 wiping the Slate
9:04 clean if that's all it is then the next
9:06 time the Slate gets dirty we're done
9:09 for salvation is not just washing away
9:11 the dirt if that's all it is then the
9:13 next time you get dirty you're done
9:16 for salvation is not just forgiving the
9:19 past because if that's the case when you
9:21 step into the present or walk into the
9:23 future and disobey
9:26 God that's it salvation's much greater
9:28 than that when God Saves you he does
9:31 Wipe the record clean when God Saves you
9:34 he does wash away the stain when God
9:37 Saves you he does forgive all your
9:39 trespasses but he goes beyond that when
9:42 God Saves you he moves into you and he
9:45 gives to you his own life so that those
9:47 of us who are
9:50 saved are living right
9:52 now in
9:55 eternity time doesn't bother us change
10:00 and Decay All Around I see oh thou that
10:06 changest not abide with me oh Lord thou
10:08 H has been our Dwelling Place through
10:11 all generations when you have eternal
10:14 life and God abides in you and you abide
10:22 eternity though the outward man is
10:24 perishing the inward man is being
10:26 renewed day by
10:28 day though we sense in our own bodies
10:31 the rra aages of time we don't worry
10:34 about that because we are participating
10:44 Eternal our father is in heaven Eternal
10:48 our savior is in heaven Eternal the
10:50 glory that we're going to share is the
10:53 eternal glory of God this is what makes
10:57 this gift so great it is an eternal gift
11:01 you participate in that which had no
11:03 beginning you were chosen in Christ
11:06 before the foundation of the world the
11:09 lamb was slain before history ever began
11:10 to be
11:12 written you're participating in that
11:15 which has no ending and right now we are
11:24 God the unsaved crowd that lives on the
11:28 things of this world thinks we're
11:31 crazy because we don't need the passing
11:34 fads and the foolish
11:37 toys and the money wasting and time
11:40 wasting gadgets and
11:43 activities that fill up the pages of our
11:46 newspapers they think we're crazy but we aren't
11:47 aren't
11:50 crazy we're drinking at a well that is
11:52 too deep for
11:56 them yay we are launched upon an ocean
11:59 that's too vast for them
12:04 we have become participants in eternal
12:09 life God lives in us and we live in
12:13 God and we share a quality of life that
12:14 is so
12:22 wonderful that we don't want the toys
12:24 and the
12:27 Trinkets and the cheap things of this
12:30 world oh this is why this gift is so
12:32 great it's an eternal
12:35 gift it has a second quality that gives
12:38 it greatness and that's this it is an expensive
12:45 gift all of us have received gifts that
12:47 um though they didn't cost much were
12:48 precious to
12:51 us your child comes home from
12:53 kindergarten and says mother I made a
12:55 picture for you and you save that
12:58 picture or it would never auction off
13:01 anywhere for money but it's precious to
13:05 you but this gift of eternal life is the
13:07 most expensive gift ever given you see
13:10 our Lord begins this prayer with these
13:15 words father the hour is
13:17 come now you can trace that right
13:18 through the Gospel of
13:22 John in John Chapter 2 when they lacked
13:25 wine at the wedding Feast Mary came to
13:27 the Lord Jesus and said they have no
13:29 wine and he very gently and lovingly
13:32 said to her woman which was a tittle of
13:35 respect what is there between thee and
13:38 me my hour is not yet
13:42 come they tried to arrest him twice we
13:44 read in the Gospel of John and they
13:45 sought to lay hold on him but they could
13:49 not for his hour had not yet
13:54 come in John 12 our Lord is facing the
13:57 cross and he says father the hour is come
14:00 come
14:02 twice he says that in the Gospel of John
14:05 then in John Chapter 13 that is in John
14:08 CH 12 twice he says it in John Chapter
14:11 13 he meets in the upper room with his
14:13 disciples and the scripture says in
14:16 Jesus knowing that his hour had
14:19 come laid aside his garments and put on
14:22 a towel and washed his disciples
14:25 feet and now in John chap 17 he looks to
14:27 the father and says the hour is come
14:30 what hour the hour of his is suffering
14:31 death and
14:34 Resurrection the hour of his
14:38 glorification father glorify thy son
14:40 that thy son Also may glorify thee how
14:43 did he glorify the father by going to a
14:47 cross and dying by being buried by
14:50 raising himself from the grave and
14:53 coming forth in glorious
14:56 Victory the hour of his suffering and
15:00 death and Glory
15:02 he says in verse four I have glorified
15:05 thee on the earth I have finished the
15:07 work which thou gavest me to do what
15:10 work the work of redemption that's why I
15:13 say to you this gift is a great gift the
15:17 greatest of all gifts it's an expensive
15:19 gift I suppose each of us as parents has
15:22 known what it means to sacrifice to
15:25 purchase some expensive gift for our
15:27 children and then have them treat it
15:29 like it was
15:36 box you sacrifice to purchase that first
15:39 bicycle and he leaves it in the street
15:42 and somebody drives over it and it
15:44 hurts our Lord went to a cross to
15:47 purchase for us the greatest gift ever
15:51 given the most expensive gift how do we treat
15:52 treat
15:55 it Peter reminds us for you are
15:59 purchased not with silver and gold
16:02 but with the precious blood of Jesus as
16:05 of a lamb without spot and blemish nor
16:08 silver nor gold could obtain my
16:10 Redemption we had to have the death of the
16:11 the
16:14 Lamb that's why it's such a great
16:18 gift it's an expensive gift and my
16:21 friend if you reject this gift you are
16:24 saying to God it's too cheap I have
16:26 other things that are more important but
16:29 my son died that I might give you this
16:32 gift I have other things that are better
16:37 costly this is why the book of Hebrews
16:39 says if we sin
16:42 willfully after we have received the
16:44 knowledge of the truth there remaineth
16:46 no more sacrifice for
16:49 sin for if under the old Covenant those
16:52 who disobeyed received their just
16:54 retribution how much
16:57 more shall those under the New Covenant
16:59 who hear the word of God [Music]
17:00 [Music]
17:03 and despise it despise the blood of
17:05 Christ walk on the blood of Christ how
17:07 much more shall God judge
17:10 them oh my friend you reject this gift
17:12 you aren't rejecting some cheap
17:15 thing that someone found in a second
17:18 hand store you're rejecting a gift
17:21 purchased by the blood of the Son of God
17:25 it's an eternal gift it's an expensive
17:28 gift I notice thirdly that this gift is
17:31 the greatest of all gift because it is
17:34 an essential gift it's something you
17:37 have to have now we've all received
17:39 gifts we didn't need someone has defined
17:41 Christmas is that time of the year when
17:43 you spend money you don't have for
17:46 people you don't know on gifts they
17:49 don't need and that may be true I
17:50 suppose each of us has somewhere in the
17:53 house a stuffed owl that was given by
17:55 somebody and when that person comes to
17:57 visit us out from the attic comes the
18:00 stuffed owl or in from the basement or
18:02 the garage comes the moose head or that
18:05 ugly vase all of us have gifts people
18:08 have given to us that embarrass
18:11 us they aren't
18:13 essential but you start talking about
18:15 life and you're talking about a
18:17 necessity not a
18:20 luxury and this is life eternal he's
18:23 talking about a gift that is absolutely
18:25 essential the whole theme of The Gospel
18:32 John tells us why he wrote the
18:35 book and many other signs did Jesus
18:37 which are not written in this book but
18:40 these are written that you might believe
18:43 that Jesus is the Christ the son of God
18:46 and that believing you might have life
18:51 through his name life through his name
18:54 and as you go through the Gospel of John
18:57 as though John puts a huge neon sign
19:05 life you go into chapter 3 and he says
19:06 the only way to get this life is through
19:13 again as Moses lifted up the serpent in
19:15 the wilderness even so must the son of
19:16 man be lifted up that whosoever
19:19 believeth in him should not perish but
19:21 have eternal
19:24 life in John chapter 4 this life is
19:27 compared to a well of Living Water that
19:30 Springs up in your heart and keeps you
19:32 satisfied so you don't have to go
19:35 drinking at the dirty systs of this
19:38 world in John chapter 5 this life is
19:40 compared to
19:43 Resurrection he that heareth my word and
19:45 believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting
19:46 everlasting
19:49 life and shall not come into judgment
19:52 but is passed from Death unto
19:55 life chapter 6 says life is compared to
19:57 bread I am the bread of life he that
20:00 believeth on me shall never hunger I am
20:02 the living bread that came down from
20:04 heaven which if a man drinks of me and
20:12 die he's the Water of Life he's the
20:15 bread of life in John chapter
20:18 10 life is compared to a Shepherd taking
20:19 care of his
20:23 sheep Jesus said my sheep hear my voice
20:25 and I know them and I give unto them
20:27 eternal life and they shall never perish
20:29 neither shall any man pluck them out of
20:31 my hand my Father which gave them me is
20:33 greater than all and no man shall pluck
20:35 them out of my father's hand so from the
20:38 beginning to the end of this book God is
20:40 talking about
20:44 life not physical life spiritual life
20:45 not the life you got from your mother
20:49 and father the life you get from Eternal
20:53 God it's an essential
20:55 gift Jesus uses an interesting word in
20:58 verse two thou Hast given him Authority
21:01 over all
21:04 flesh flesh Now by All Flesh he means
21:06 all human beings but he could have said
21:08 that thou Hast given him authority over
21:11 all people he didn't say people he said
21:14 flesh you know why he was describing how
21:15 weak we are you know what you are you're
21:18 flesh in the Bible flesh means Fallen
21:22 human nature the body is strong the
21:25 flesh is
21:27 weak flesh can't come up with anything eternal
21:30 eternal
21:33 Peter says all flesh is as grass and the
21:42 grass man doesn't have any eternal glory
21:44 man is just
21:47 flesh but Jesus Christ comes and says I
21:51 know your flesh and flesh means
21:55 death God looked upon All Flesh and it
22:04 flesh how amazing it is that God says to
22:06 you and to me I have something essential
22:10 I have something you need eternal life
22:12 you're just flesh you keep living the
22:15 way you're living and you'll die without
22:17 life without hope but I want to give to
22:21 you eternal life it's a birth you must
22:24 be born again it's water that satisfies
22:27 your thirst it's resurrection power that
22:30 takes you out of the graveyard of sin
22:38 hunger it's an essential gift my
22:41 friend you may have been listening to
22:42 the preaching of the word of God week
22:44 after week and year after year and
22:47 you've rejected this gift you know what
22:49 you're saying you're saying I don't need
22:54 it but my Bible says you do need it you
22:56 must be
22:59 born again
23:01 it is an eternal
23:04 gift if you want to have eternal life
23:06 instead of Eternal death you have to
23:09 receive this gift oh you're going to live
23:10 live forever
23:12 forever
23:16 somewhere either in the presence of God
23:19 in the glory of eternal life or away
23:22 from the presence of God in the tragedy
23:24 of Eternal
23:33 either life or death you're going to live
23:34 live
23:37 forever and if you receive this gift
23:39 you'll have eternal life in heaven
23:42 forever it is an eternal gift and it is
23:45 an expensive gift you can't earn it and
23:47 you can't buy it and you can't deserve
23:49 it but you can receive it by faith it's
23:51 already been paid
23:54 for it's an essential gift you have to have
23:55 have
23:58 it there's a fourth quality to this this
24:01 gift that makes it so
24:04 great it is an
24:07 extensive gift it's for
24:09 everybody some of you will remember one
24:11 of the greatest Saints That Ever Walked
24:14 the face of this Earth Dr Walter
24:17 Wilson in my early Christian experience
24:19 I thank God for the Privileges I had of
24:22 hearing Walter Wilson preach he was so
24:24 practical and down to earth and he
24:26 helped me as a young Christian I never
24:28 will forget a sermon he preached about John
24:29 John
24:33 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave
24:35 and Dr Wilson put it so beautifully I
24:38 just want to share it with you he said
24:41 suppose you had to buy a gift for
24:44 everybody in the world one gift for
24:50 buy is there any one gift that everybody
24:54 would need we say buy them a book
24:56 everybody can't read some people are
24:58 blind well buy them a record you can't
25:00 buy them a record some folks don't like
25:02 music haven't got phonographs and some
25:04 of them can't
25:07 hear a chair oh some folks are lying in
25:10 beds they can't sit
25:12 up clothing well what part of the world
25:15 would you buy it for might be too heavy
25:17 for one place and too light for another
25:20 food some people are allergic to
25:22 things and Walter Wilson in his own
25:24 inimitable way went right down the shopping
25:25 shopping
25:29 list and everything he named he crossed
25:31 off he said there's only one gift in all
25:34 the world that's good for everybody and
25:37 that is the gift of eternal life and that's
25:38 that's
25:42 true everybody needs it all have sinned
25:44 and come short of the glory of God
25:48 everybody can have it Jesus died for all
25:51 thou has given him authority over All
25:54 Flesh that he should give eternal life
25:57 to Those whom thou Hast given
25:59 him yeah have here the sovereignty of
26:02 God and the responsibility of
26:06 man do all need salvation yes did Christ
26:11 die for all yes can all be saved yes
26:14 will all be saved
26:16 no will you be
26:20 saved you can be for whosoever shall
26:23 call upon the name of the Lord shall be
26:28 saved in John 6:37 our Lord puts it this
26:31 way way all that the father giveth me
26:34 shall come to me that's Divine
26:37 sovereignty and him that cometh to me
26:44 responsibility and so if God speaking to
26:46 your heart just now and you have never
26:48 received this gift of eternal life it's
26:49 not God's
26:52 fault God Is Calling You by his Spirit
26:54 through his word and you can come and
26:59 receive salvation it is an extend ensive
27:03 gift everybody needs it everybody can have
27:09 it there's a fifth quality to this
27:12 gift and Jesus makes this very clear in verse
27:13 verse
27:17 three it is not only an eternal
27:20 gift an expensive
27:26 gift an essential gift an extensive
27:29 gift but this gift is is an
27:32 exclusive gift there's only one place
27:35 you can get
27:38 it I read New Yorker magazine each week
27:40 because I enjoy the
27:43 cartoons then after I enjoy the cartoons
27:45 I go back and read the copy because it's
27:46 beautifully written don't always agree
27:49 with the philosophy but I enjoy what I
27:52 read I also enjoy the advertising it's
27:54 probably among the most expensive
27:57 advertising anywhere in the country and
27:59 you Turn the Page and here's a picture
28:02 of a beautiful diamond surrounded by
28:06 emeralds surrounded by
28:08 Sapphires and they want
28:10 $182,000 for
28:14 it one of a kind only one place to get
28:18 it and often I've smiled and said well
28:22 long after those things have gone I'm
28:23 going to have the gift God gave me
28:25 there's only one place to get it it's an
28:29 exclusive gift this is life Eternal that
28:33 they may Know Thee the only true God and
28:36 Jesus Christ whom thou has sent Jesus is
28:39 saying when you know me you know God he
28:41 that has seen me has seen the
28:43 father suppose that verse said and this
28:45 is life eternal that they may Know Thee
28:48 the only true God and Isaiah the
28:51 prophet oh no it doesn't make sense and
28:53 DL Moody
28:56 no and Jesus Christ Our Lord is putting
28:58 himself on the same level as God
29:01 God and he's saying there's only one
29:03 place you can get this gift you've got
29:05 to come to
29:08 me for there is none other name under
29:11 Heaven given among men whereby we must be
29:12 be
29:15 saved oh people say to me oh there are
29:17 many roads to Rome there are many roads
29:19 to New York that's right and I'm glad
29:26 lost but there's only one road to
29:30 Heaven Jesus Jus said I am the way the
29:35 truth and the life no man comes to the
29:38 father but by me how exclusive can you
29:40 get and people look at us and say well
29:43 you Christians are so exclusive that's
29:46 right we know the only true God every
29:49 other God is a false god every other
29:52 savior is a false savior every other way
30:01 there is a way that seeth right unto a
30:08 death and my friend if you don't come
30:10 God's way you don't
30:14 come it is an exclusive
30:17 gift because you have to have a personal
30:20 relationship with God when he says that
30:22 they may Know Thee he doesn't mean to
30:24 know it with your head I knew a great
30:27 deal about Jesus before I ever got saved
30:29 I'd been in Sunday school I'd been
30:32 confirmed but oh there came a day when I
30:35 met him I knew
30:38 him in the Bible to know means much more
30:41 than intellectual understanding it means
30:44 personal reception it's the word that's
30:46 used for the love between a husband and
30:49 a wife the most intimate
30:52 relationship among human beings to know
30:55 and here he is saying to be saved means
30:58 to know God through Christ to have a personal
31:04 relationship in other words you can't be
31:06 saved without
31:10 Jesus Thou shalt call his name Jesus for
31:13 he shall save his people from their
31:17 sins he that hath the son hath life he
31:26 life possessing this wonderful marvelous
31:28 glorious gift ought to be be the most
31:30 exciting thing in all the
31:33 world if you've never come and received
31:34 this gift that's the greatest thing you
31:38 could ever do to
31:42 come but to reject this gift since it is
31:44 the greatest gift in the world means
31:46 your rejection is the greatest sin in
31:49 the world God can forgive murder and God
31:51 can forgive adultery God can forgive
32:00 rejection and this is the
32:02 condemnation that light has come into
32:04 the world and Men love Darkness rather
32:06 than light because their deeds are evil
32:08 he that believeth on him is not
32:10 condemned but he that believeth not is
32:13 condemned already because he hath not
32:15 believed in the name of the only
32:17 begotten Son of
32:20 God it's an eternal gift if you reject
32:23 it you get Eternal
32:25 death it's an expensive gift if you
32:32 it's an essential gift if you reject it
32:33 you're missing the one thing you need
32:36 more than anything else
32:39 life it's an extensive gift if you say
32:42 no somebody else will say
32:45 yes but you've
32:48 rejected it's an exclusive gift you
32:50 can't get it any place you want to get
32:51 it you've got to get it from
32:54 Jesus he's the
32:56 Savior this is the greatest gift in all
32:58 the world
32:59 and it's a
33:02 gift you can come to him and receive the
33:05 gift of eternal
33:13 forever why will you
33:16 die why will you say
33:19 no as the Savior
33:27 yes gracious father we give thanks for
33:29 this marvelous
33:31 gift and we pray together that those of
33:34 us who have received it might rejoice in
33:35 it and share it with
33:38 others and that those who have never
33:41 received might come today and receive
33:45 Christ we pray in Jesus name
33:52 amen all of Dr Warren web's material is
33:55 owned and managed by Script text the
33:57 material contained in this podcast is
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34:02 not to be duplicated or sold without
34:06 prior written consent from script text [Music]
